By: Camilla McLaughlin

Finding the perfect pairing of a residence with a one-of-a-kind setting is a rarity, but the Pebble Beach estate featured on our cover accomplishes this with ease. It has few peers along famed 17 Mile Drive, where properties only occasionally change hands — even along the entire California coast.

The location — on a bluff on Pescadero Point, adjacent to dedicated conversancy acreage — is unparalleled. “It is the most private and has the best views of all 31 homes on the oceanfront,” says Mike Canning of Sotheby’s International Realty’s Canning Properties Group.

The residence, which occupies a long swath above the water, makes best use of this dynamic setting. Almost every room takes in expansive ocean vistas, waves breaking on Carmel Beach and Point Lobos in the distance, and grants access to terraces that run along the oceanside. “Anyone who sees this property is absolutely blown away by the views,” says Canning. On the easterly side of the home there is a fantastic terrace with a pool and spa. The views literally are breathtaking. In fact, Canning says, “You can hardly talk, the beauty is so overwhelming.”

Inside, using the home’s classic Pebble Beach Mediterranean architecture as a foundation, designer Jeffrey Doherty has achieved the perfect synergy of old with new. Reclaimed materials, many sourced in Europe, mix wood and stone, such as the limestone on the exterior that was custom milled for the property. Many were sourced on numerous trips to Europe, so, Doherty says, “everything took on character immediately.”

Also unique is the sense of ease and an up-to-date but still timeless ambiance often not found in estates of this magnitude. Still, Doherty says, it feels very much like an authentic Italianate villa. “Everything was designed and collected to create a warm, beautiful environment that looks like it has been there for a long time.”

Currently, Canning has this peerless property discreetly available and the price is $49.888 million.